History Film / TheBaby

!! This film provides examples of:
%%* AlphaBitch: Baby's mother and sisters.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others shows shades of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a [[PsychopathicManchild sadistic]] individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others shows shades of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a {{Sadist sadistic}} individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others shows shades of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a [[PsychopathicManchild sadistic]] individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others reflect examples of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a [[PsychopathicManchild sadistic]] individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being openly rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[ TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others reflect examples of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a [[PsychopathicManchild sadistic]] individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being openly rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Downplayed, as none of [[ TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether the Wadsworth women]] are nice people, but the way they behave towards Baby and around others reflect examples of this, Germaine is a BitchInSheepsClothing who handles most of the interactions with the outside world and keeps her sexual abuse of her brother underwraps, Alba is a [[Sadist sadistic]] individual who openly enjoys hurting Baby and has no problem with being openly rude and short-tempered with outsiders, Mrs Wadsworth does seem to genuinely care about Baby to an extent and often stops Alba from abusing her brother, but is far more openly hostile and abusive towards him than Germaine.

* BitchInSheep'sClothing: Unlike her mother and sister, Germaine keeps up a pleasant facade around others throughout the film, even while kidnapping Ann or molesting her younger brother.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mrs. Wadsworth is disgusted with Alba when she suggests they should've sent Baby to the circus.

* ManChild: Baby, because he was NotAllowedToGrowUp. [[spoiler: Ann's husband is one too, as a result of his accident.]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: At first, you'd think this movie was about a giant killer baby.

''The Baby'' is a 1973 B-movie directed by Ted Post. The film is usually classified "Horror", but it is actually more a psychological drama.

%%* AlphaBitch: Baby's mother and sisters

* BigSisterBully: Alba is shown being much meaner to Baby than her sister and mother. Most notably in the scene where she's shocking him with a cattle prod while also mocking him.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Wadsworths

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Mrs. Wadsworth [[spoiler:breaks her legs then is BuriedAlive next to her recently killed daughters]]
* DarkSecret[=/=]TwistEnding: [[spoiler:Ann's husband is also a "baby" (he became brain damaged from the car crash)]]
* DisappearedDad: Each Wadsworth kid was fathered by a different man. Which is probably why their mother DoesNotLikeMen.
* DisposingOfABody: [[spoiler:Mrs. Wadsworth and her daughters are buried in the Gentrys' back yard and a pool is built ontop of them!]]

* FalseWidow: [[spoiler: Ann, at first we assume her husband died, but it turns out he survived. He's just brain damaged and acts like a baby]]

* HopeSpot: When Ann takes Baby away from his family, she tries to get him some help, and after learning that there's nothing actually wrong with his brain (by which they mean he has no congenital mental conditions or learning difficulties) tries to teach him how to be an adult. For a while it seems to be working, but after Ann [[spoiler:kills Baby's mother and sisters]] it's revealed that she instead decided to keep Baby as a [[spoiler:playmate for her brain damaged husband]].
* MamaBear: Mrs. Wadsworth. EvilMatriarch tendencies aside, she ''does'' seem to genuinely care about Baby as shown when she shocks Alba with a cattle prod for doing the same to Baby and later scolding her for suggesting that he should've been given to a circus.

* TheSociopath: Alba shows signs. The look on her face as she shocks Baby with a cattle prod is one of pure [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] glee, says that they should've sold Baby to a circus to be a sideshow attraction, which garners a negative response from both Germaine and Mrs. Wadsworth, and instructs a guy who tries to flirt with her to burn his hand.

Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer) is a social worker whose husband has recently been injured in an accident. She gets assigned to the Wadsworth family which consists of Mrs. Wadsworth (Ruth Roman), her two adult daughters Germaine (Marianna Hill) and Alba (Suzanne Zenor), and "Baby" (David Manzy), [[ManChild a grown man who acts and is treated like a baby]]. Ann takes on the case because she thinks the Wadsworths have been mistreating Baby, but there is also another reason she is interested in him.

%%* EvilMatriarch: Mrs. Wadsworth

** PsychopathicManchild: Alba definitely shows signs of being this since she's shown bullying Baby while hurling childish insults at him. She also doesn't exactly ''dress'' like an adult, either.

* YoureInsane: [[spoiler:Ann and her mother-in-law got nothing on the Wadsworths]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Mrs. Wadsworth [[spoiler:breaks her legs than is BuriedAlive next to her recently killed daughters]]

--> "Babies don't ''walk!'' Babies don't ''talk!"